Modern readers don't take the Little Flower seriously, citing her cloying sweetness and sentimentality. This book shows how the sweetness is just a stylistic literary and religious form that was expected in Therese's day. Beneath the form, says the author, is a practical, concrete, and very realistic method for preserving one's sanity in an often-insane world.

The heart of Therese's method was perspective, seeing all things in light of eternity. This helped her to be involved in life without being absorbed by it, to love without becoming enmeshed, and to deal with life's absurdities without losing faith or peace of mind.